Chapter 72 A Deal
"unlucky!"
Ye Yaozu carefully protected Xianglan and kicked the beggar. The beggar let out a muffled groan and curled up against the wall.
When she turned around, she saw Lin Anyuan and was so startled she almost slipped. "Lin Anyuan, what do you want to do?"
The moment Ye Yaozu saw Lin Anyuan, he instinctively felt pain in all four limbs. It was Lin Anyuan who had deliberately kicked his leg on the mountain; his leg wasn't fully healed yet.
"What do you think I want to do?"
Lin Anyuan looked Ye Yaozu up and down; Ye Yaozu was dressed even better than Lin Anyuan.
Someone even worse off than him is dressed so well, what kind of class is that?
Xianglan blushed and whispered, "He's really handsome. What's his name?"
"Lin Anyuan, the Lin Anyuan who bought Ye Wan," Ye Yaozu explained in a low voice, pulling Xianglan back.
Xianglan shook off his hand and heard this with a hint of jealousy, "Such a handsome man, Ye Wan is really lucky to have him."
"Xianglan, what did you say?"
"It's nothing, I just wish I could have such a beautiful child."
Xianglan looked at Lin Anyuan shyly, "Brother-in-law, my name is Xianglan."
Upon hearing this, Ye Yaozu felt as if struck by lightning. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Neither of us are bad-looking, so we'll definitely have a good-looking child. Let's go, this guy is a madman."
This guy is a devil, why is he calling me brother-in-law?
"ah!"
Just as Ye Yaozu was about to pull Xianglan away, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist and let out a scream.
"Who are you calling a madman?" Lin Anyuan twirled the stone in his hand, which he had picked up on the road earlier, and it seemed to work quite well.
"No, I... I didn't say anything." Ye Yaozu retreated in fear, his legs trembling.
It was broad daylight, and there were still people on the street, so Lin Anyuan didn't dare to make a move. Yes, he didn't dare.
"Brother-in-law, how could you hit someone like that? Yaozu is your brother-in-law, brother-in-law—ah—"
Xianglan screamed and covered her mouth.
"Their moans were so lewd, they almost made me throw up my lunch. Don't you think you deserve to be beaten?" Lin Anyuan said, then bent down to pick up stones.
Ye Yaozu didn't have time to say anything. He grabbed Xianglan and ran, afraid that if they were too slow, he would lose his teeth.
"Thank you for saving me, hero. My name is Tao Chuang. If I ever pass the imperial examination, I will definitely repay your kindness."
The person huddled in the corner spoke weakly.
Lin Anyuan, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks. "A scholar?"
Tao Chuang paused for a moment, then nodded, his voice weak with hunger, "Yes, I was supposed to take the provincial examination this year, but unfortunately I fell ill a few months ago..."
“That sounds pretty unlucky, but I’m not interested in your situation,” Lin Anyuan said, looking at the man.
Tao Chuang struggled to speak, "I still have to thank the hero for saving me..."
Lin Anyuan interrupted him, "How about we make a deal?"
Tao Chuang had no idea that he was in such a state, and this person was trying to do business with him. He was so good-looking, could it be that he wasn't quite right in the head?
"I'll pay for your trip to the provincial examination. If you pass, you'll be at my service. What do you say?"
...
...
"Young man, you're saying Tao Chuang doesn't live here anymore?"
At the entrance of the courtyard, a man dressed as a scholar spoke impatiently, "Yes, that man surnamed Tao fell ill half a year ago and spent all his money. He can no longer afford to rent this courtyard. As for where he moved to, I don't know. Do you have any other questions?"
"It's gone."
The courtyard gate slammed shut.
"Why did they move away? I wonder what illness they had?"
Ye Wan comforted the coughing old man, "Godfather, don't be sad. Since he's going to participate in this year's provincial examination, we can wait near the examination site. We'll definitely be able to find him then."
She thought the old man had come to the prefectural city to see his old flame, and she even planned to go back and tell her godmother about it. But it turned out he just wanted to see the son of an old friend.
Cough cough, no wonder Aunt Cai looked at her with such a mix of amusement and exasperation before.
The old man, who had been feeling somewhat sad, immediately calmed down upon hearing this. "Young people are so smart. I've been living in a daze all these years."
"It's getting late, Godfather, let's buy some things and go home."
The two walked toward the market and passed by two other people.
"Ninth day of the month, that woman who just passed by looks so familiar?" Chu Qi suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Who is it? Woman? Do you have some old flame here?" Chu Jiu asked with a gossipy look on his face.
Chu Qi was too lazy to reply and frowned as she went to knock on the door.
"Ugh, this is so annoying! I already told you I'm not here, so please stop bothering me while I'm reading, okay?"
The scholar had angrily opened the courtyard gate, but when he saw two men, he immediately fell silent.
Who are you looking for?
“We’re looking for the man who rented the courtyard before, his surname is Tao.” Chu Jiu said with a smile.
The scholar frowned upon hearing this. "Is it that guy surnamed Tao again? He hasn't lived here for a long time. He got sick and can't afford the bills."
Chu Qi, "Do you know where he moved to?"
"It seems they said they went to town, because courtyards are cheaper there."
Chu Jiu couldn't help but complain, "Why is this search for someone so unsuccessful? We finally got a clue, the son of Fang Daru's old friend, but he's moved away. The provincial examination is in two days, he can't possibly stay at an inn, can he?"
Chu Qi remained expressionless. "If it were that easy for you to find me, there would be plenty of people who would have found me."
People from the capital have been looking for Master Fang for years, but they haven't found him yet. It's normal that they can't find him.
"That's true, Chu Qi. What do you think the boss went off to? He left in such a hurry."
"I don't know. Why are you asking so many questions? You should go back first."
Chu Qi quickly left, remembering what the scholar had said earlier.
So there were other people who came before them, most likely the woman and the old man from earlier.
Chu Jiu watched the direction he left in, then suddenly slapped her thigh. "Holy crap, Chu Qi, you didn't fall for that woman, did you? Is she really your lover?"
Chu Qi turned around, and his usually expressionless face showed a rare hint of emotion.
"Have you been hanging out with Wang Dachui for too long? Has his brain been influenced by him? Get out!"
Ye Wan was unaware that she was being watched.
At the market, I bought new headdresses for the three girls, and some delicious-looking food for my godparents. After thinking about it, I bought Lin Anyuan a hairpin with auspicious cloud patterns.
Lin Anyuan's hair was always casually draped over his shoulders, and he had never used a hairpin. When Ye Wan was buying it, the image of him with his hair tied up suddenly came to mind.
Little did they know that Lin Anyuan was frowning deeply in front of a noodle stall.
There were four or five bowls stacked in front of Tao Chuang. Seeing Lin Anyuan staring at him, he said somewhat shyly, "I'm really sorry, I haven't eaten for three or four days, hiccup!"
Lin Anyuan stood up. "Are you full?"
If they're still not full, he thinks it's better to quit this business; he can't afford to feed them.
"I'm full, burp."
Tao Chuang reluctantly put down his bowl and chased after him, "My benefactor, my hero, the provincial examination is in two days. Where shall I stay? Shall I stay with you?"
"Shut up! Say another half a word, and believe me, I'll take it back."
Lin Anyuan walked very fast.
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